TAGULUAN, Misamis Oriental (June 24, 2025) – The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), in coordination with the Bureau of Customs (BOC), intercepted 25 metric tons of illegally imported red onions from China at the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental.
The estimated customs value of the smuggled onions is around P2 million.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the Department of Agriculture had not issued any sanitary and phytosanitary import permits for red onion shipments from China. He affirmed that the government would pursue legal action under the newly enacted Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, which imposes heavier penalties on agricultural smuggling, including substantial fines and extended prison terms. ### (Photos by Jay Morales, DA-OSEC)
